Mud guard for shoe heels



June 5, 1934. R 3 VOGT 1,961,267

MUD GUARD FOR SHOE HEELS Filed Nov. 7. 1931 INVENTOR RKZH ARD C. VOGT 'L QMQ/QLK;

ATTORNEYS Patented June 5, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2 Claims.

Important objects of the present invention are, to provide a mud guard of improved design for detachably mounting upon a shoe heel, and to provide a satisfactory guard of maximum compactness, simplicity and cheapness.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved mud guard;

Fig. 2 an edge view of the guard;

Fig. 3 a side view of a shoe with the mud guard applied to the heel;

Fig. 4 a fragmentary front view of the shoe heel with the applied guard; and

Fig. 5 a bottom plan view of the shoe heel ahd applied guard.

Theimproved mud guard comprises a flat elastic disk 1 having an approximately ovate contour in plan. Near the smaller end of its contour the disk has a small circular aperture 2 which is approximately concentric with the curvature of the adjacent end of the disk. The disk is preferably formed of freely flexible rubber having a required elasticity and it may easily be stamped from a flat sheet of rubber stock. The thickness of the disk is preferably about one-sixteenth of an inch. This dimension may be varied, however.

The disk is designed primarily to serve as a detachable mud guard for the high, slender heel of a ladys shoe. For this service the heel-receiving aperture 2 is preferably about one-half inch in diameter and it is spaced approximately threeeighths of an inch from the adjacent end of the disk. The shape and proportions of the disk may,

however, be varied to accommodate variations in heel shapes and sizes and the disk may be adapted for use upon mens shoes.

The heel-receiving aperture 2 of the mud guard is materially smaller than the lower end of the heel of a ladys shoe. In applying the disk to the heel H, the apertured portion of the disk is forcibly stretched and expanded and pulled over the heel, with the larger end of the guard disposed at the back of the heel. There is .a substantial margin of material surrounding the aperture. .When the heel is forced through the aperture the edge wall of the aperture and the surrounding margin are turned downwardly and extended to form a heel-embracing collar with the edge wall of the aperture forming the lower edge of the collar and the upper surface of said deflected margin forming the inner surface of the collar. The upper portion of the collar merges into the body of the flexible sheet and the entire sheet is put 55 under tension. The tendency of the disk to contract then forms the portion thereof immediately surrounding the aperture into a collar 3 snugly embracing the heel, and forms the remainder of the disk into a guard flange or lip 4 flaring upward and outward from the back and sides of said collar. The mud guard flange which flares out wardly and upwardly from the collar is self-supporting and resilient, due to the tension put into the sheet, so that it will return to its propcp'ly shaped position if deflected from said position. Thereby the disk is formed into an effective mud guard which protects the shoe and stocking from mud splashings. When the guard is worn low upon the heel, as in Figs. 3 and 4, it protects the entire heel. Its tendency to contract holds it tenaciously to the heel against accidental removal and firmly supports the flange 4 in operative position. When required, however, it can be readily stripped from the heel by merely grasping the guard lip and forcibly pulling it downward. Upon removal, the guard resumes its flat disk form.

The guard disk is extremely simple and compact and it can be manufactured at a very small cost. A pair of the thin, flat disks can be conveniently stored in a quite limited space within a ladys handbag, vanity case or other receptacle. The disk can be easily kept clean as it has no recesses to accumulate dirt. When applied it presents a neat, trim appearance in harmony with a ladys high-heeled shoe. The mere act of forcing it over the heel causes it to assume its flaring guard form.

What I claim is:

1. A self-shaping and self-supporting mud guard to detachably mount upon the heel of a shoe, comprising a thin, flat, freely flexible, singleply rubber sheet of substantially uniform thickness, flexibility and resilience throughout its area and having a small heel-receiving aperture located eccentrically near one end of the sheet in a position to afford a substantial margin of the sheet area entirely surrounding said aperture and toplace the main body of the sheet at the rear and sides of the heel, the width of said margin at its point of least width between the aperture and the adjacent outer edge of the sheet being at least four times the thickness of the sheet, whereby when the sheet is forced over a heel larger than said aperture said margin will be deflected downward to form an annular heel-embracing and gripping collar of substantial depth, with the edge wall of the aperture forming the lower edge of the collar and the upper surface of the deflected margin forming the inner surface of the collar, to put the entire sheet under tension and provided with an aperture eccentrically located with sufficient material between the aperture and the adjacent edge of the sheet to form a wide annular col'lar atone side to provide for the depth of the heel-engaging collar, said aperture being considerably less in diameter than vthe crossseotion of the shoe-heel whereby the insertion of the heel will deform the material around the aperture to cause. the surface thereof to engage the heel and form the annular collar.

RICHARD C. VOGT. 

